Rotatable port control sleeve



June 14, 1955 c. H. COLLET-r ROTATABLE PORT CONTROL SLEEVE Filed July19, 1952 lll ,to x M7 f if M il d Z /M l f M w 2,710,655 Patented June14, 1955 ROTATA-BLE PRTCNTROL SLEEVE Charles Haskeilfoliett, Burbank,alif., assigner to l'. B.

Nelson, LongBeaclr, Calif. l

Application July 19,` 1952, Serial No. 299,859

2 Claims... (Cl. 16e- 115)v This invention relates to a means ofcontrolling a port (opening and closing said port)` through whichcertain materials are moved in an oil well. This material may be gravelforV gravel packing purposes, the gravel being entrained in a stream ofmud. The materialsv may also be` certain chemicals when chemicallytreating a well, or fluid-under pressure for cleaning a well, etc.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel rotatably mounted portcontrol sleeve which can be rotated within a tubular body to either openor close a port to permit certain materials to be moved through thisport, as-may be necessary.

A featureof my invention is to provide a novel packing means on therotatable sleeve which will effectively seal off the port in the tubularbody, when the port in the rotatable sleeve is out of alignment withthis port in the tubular body.

Another feature of my invention is to provide a square packing in therotatable sleeve, this square packing surrounding the outlet port in thetubular body in one position of the rotatable sleeve. This squarepacking effectively sealing off the outlet port in the tubular body andpreventing leakage at this point.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from theacompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appendedclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of a gravel packing toolembodying my invention and showing the rotatable sleeve in openposition.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the bodyportion or" a gravel packing tool and showing the rotatable sleeve inclosed position.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the rotatable sleeve.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the rotatable sleeve taken at rightangles to Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the operating and packingmember.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7 7 of Figure 1.

My rotatable port control sleeve may be used in connection with a toolas described in application, Serial No. 216,192, filed March 17, 1951,for Hydraulically Operated Port Control Device, now abandoned, or inapplication, Serial No. 201,573, tiled December 19, 1950, for HydraulicSlip Setting Means for Oil Well Tools.

In the gravel packing of oil wells the gravel is entrained with a muddyfluid which is pumped downwardly in the well through the drill pipe, andthen passes outwardly through an open port in the gravel packingtool atthe bottom of the well, and the gravel is then deposited around theliner while the fluid then returns upwardly to the ground surface. Thegravel laden fluid passes outwardly from an open port in a movablepiston within the tubular body of the oil well tool, thence through theopen port in the body of the tool and then drops to its resting place atthe bottom of the well.

The lower end of the drill pipe. is a square section 1 whichispositioned within the tubular body 2 of the tool. A collar 3 is providedon the bottom of the square section 1 and this collary threads onto pipe4 which in turn is attached to the top packing cup 5. This packing cupis of the usual rubber type and is expansible so as, to pack off againstthe wall of 'the tubular housing 2. A second packing cup 6,. similar inconstruction to the cup 5, is spaced below the. cup 5 and also engagesand packs off against the wall of the tubular housing 2. A tail pipe 7projects downwardly. from the lower cup 6 a suitable distance, and thereturning fluid passes upwardly through the tail pipe and thence throughsuitable portsv to bypass the pipe 1, drill pipe 1 and coupling 3, sincethe return fluid must pass upwardly around the outside. of the. drillpipe, all of'which is usual and well known in the art.

The packing cups 5 and 6 are connected by a pipe-likesection S, which isprovided with an upper bore 9 extending to a laterally extendinghole 10.The material which. is to be deposited passes downwardly through thedrill pipe, thence into the pipe 4, then through the bore 9 and outthrough the hole 1t). The cups 5 and 6 will conxine and direct thematerial. to the particular area in which thev cups Sand 6 areVpositioned.

A sleeve 11 is rotatably mounted within the.- body 2 of the tool and isconfined between an upper shoulder 12 and a lower shoulder 13'. Thesleeve 11 is provided with one or more ports 1d which can be alignedwith outlet ports 15 in the body 2 of the tool. When the ports 14 and 15are in alignment, as shown in Figure l, fluid flowing out of the hole 10will pass outwardly and, for example, the gravel laden fluid will dropto the bottom of the well and will be deposited.

To rotate the sleeve 11 so that the ports 14 will align, or misalignwith the ports 15, I provide a longitudinal spline or groove 16 on theinside of the sleeve which are engaged by ribs or flanges 17 on thepipe-like section 8, and thus rotating the sleeve 11 when the drill pipeis rotated. To govern the amount of the rotation of the sleeve, Iprovide an arcuate notch 18 which is entered by a lug 19 on the body 2,thus insuring that the sleeve 11 will either open or close the ports 15in the tubular body. To seal oft the ports 15 when the ports 14 aremisaligned therewith, I provide a square packing 20, this square packingfitting into a square groove 21 in the sleeve 11, and the square packingsurrounds the port 1S in one position of the sleeve. Since two sides ofthe square packing 20 will be vertical, I find that the packing does nottend to press into the port 15 as the packing slides over the sameduring rotation of the sleeve 11. As a result, the square packing is notcut by the sharp edges of the port 15. Also the square packing 2f) willeffectively seal off the port 15 from any possible fluid flow, eithervertical or horizontal.

In operation the tool body 2, together with the packing cups 5 and 6therein, is lowered into the oil well on the drill pipe. The weight ofthe outer tubular body 2 will hold that body in proper position so thatthe packing cups 5 and 6 are above and below respectively, the outletports 15 in the body 2. The blades, or ribs 17, are fitted in thegrooves 16 and, consequently, the sleeve 11 can be rotated clockwise, orcounter-clockwise, by appropriate rotation of the drill pipe.

When the tool is being run into the well, and also for testing purposesof the well, the ports 14 and 15 are misaligned, and the packing 20will, therefore, surround the outlet port 15, sealing the same. When itis desired to flow material through the port 15, the sleeve 11 isrotated until the port 14 aligns with the port 15, this being determinedby the stop lug 19. When a proper amount of material has been flowedinto the well, the sleeve 11 3 can again be rotated to a position toclose and seal the port 15.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A rotatable control sleeve including an elongated tubular body, apipe adapted to extend into said body and movable longitudinallytherein, said body having an outlet port extending through the wallthereof, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the inside of said body, meanslimiting longitudinal movement of the sleeve in the body, said sleevehaving a port extending through the wall thereof and alignable with therst named port in one position of the sleeve, spaced packing cupsmounted on said pipe and positioned within the body, longitudinallyextending integral ribs on the outside of the pipe and arranged betweenthe packing cups, said ribs being engageable with the sleeve to rotatethe same, said sleeve having grooves on the inside thereof and extendinglongitudinally to receive said ribs, a packing on the outside of saidsleeve, said packing completely surrounding a blank area of the sleeve,said packing being in the same horizontal plane as said port, said blankarea being movable over the rst named port in one position of thesleeve, said packing surrounding the rst named port in the last namedposition of the sleeve.

2. A rotatable control sleeve including an elongated tubular body, apipe adapted to extend into said body and movable longitudinallytherein, said body having an outlet port extending through the wallthereof, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the inside of said body, meanslimiting longitudinal movement of the sleeve in the body, said sleevehaving a port extending through the wall thereof and alignable with theiirst named port in one position of the sleeve, spaced packing cupsmounted on said pipe and positioned within the body, longitudinallyextending integral ribs on the outside of the pipe and arranged. betweenthe packing cups, said ribs being er1- gageable with the sleeve torotate the same, said sleeve having grooves on the inside thereof andextending longitudinally to receive said ribs, a packing on the outsideof said sleeve, said packing completely surrounding a blank area of thesleeve, said packing being in the same horizontal plane as said port,said blank area being movable over the rst named port in one position ofthe sleeve, said packing surrounding the rst named port in the lastnamed position of the sleeve, said packing being rectangular and saidsleeve having a rectangular groove on the outside thereof in which therectangular packing is mounted.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,125,643 McCune Aug. 2, 1938 2,168,735 Gilstrap Aug. 8, 1939 2,291,371Buchanan et al. Iuly 28, 1942 2,380,022 Burt July 10, 1945 2,384,675Hammer Sept. 11, 1945 2,431,751 Hayward Dec. 2, 1947 2,493,966 HartleyJan. 10, 1950 2,545,834 Westbrook Mar. 20, 1951 2,675,874 Springer Apr.20, 1954

